A Puppy Owner's Guide to Parvo

Commonly referred to as parvo, the parvovirus attacks the digestive lining of dogs. It is more frequent in younger dogs than adult dogs, because of the concentration of dividing cells in the stomach of a growing puppy. The parvovirus is fatal, making it extremely important to vaccinate puppies accordingly. Knowing the signs and symptoms of parvo gives you the ability to take necessary steps in treatment.

Symptoms

A noticeable decrease in apetite is usually the first sign of parvo in puppies. A pup that ordinarily enjoys food with a healthy apetite will show no interest in eating.

In addition to the loss of apetite, your puppy will seem lazy, lethargic and unwilling to play or be active. The puppy will also seem deppressed.

Within a day of contracting parvo, the puppy will experience diarrhea and vomiting. The stools will be loose and discolored. It may be slimy with traces of blod and mucous. The puppies vomit will be frothy and yellowish-clear.

Without immediate care a puppy with parvo will die within dies of contracting it, of dehydration. Getting your pup to a veterinarian is absolutely necessary to diagnose and treat the condition.

Don't panic if your puppy shows signs of parvo. Even though this is a serious condition that can be fatal, the symptoms are also interchangeable with a variety of other conditions. These conditions include the coronavirus, distemper, food poisoning, colitis and a range of parasitic infections. Not all of the conditions with the same symptoms as parvo are fatal or dangerous.

Treatment

If your puppy is diagnosed with the parvovirus it must immediately be given treatment of electrolytes to stave off dehydration. There is absolutely no cure for parvo, so each symptom of the virus is treated individually. Under close observation and intervaneous administration of nutrients, your puppy could recover, but the recovery rate is only 20%.